Doctor Thorne: more thrilling than Downton Abbey?
Familiar themes feature in Julian Fellowes's adaptation of the Anthony Trollope classic
Julian Fellowes insists that his new period drama about love and class divide, Doctor Thorne, is not the new Downton Abbey, but this hasn't stopped critics drawing comparisons.
His adaptation of Anthony Trollope's 1858 novel, which stars Tom Hollander as the eponymous hero, Stefanie Martini as his niece, Mary, and Ian McShane as the sinister Sir Roger Scatcherd, began last night on ITV.
It shares many of the things that made Downton such a huge hit, says Kasia Delgado at the Radio Times. It is full of "the most beautiful country houses, castles and corsets, with some brilliant characters and actors at its centre".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
However, unlike Fellowes's hit series, which once graced the same television spot, Doctor Thorne is a self-contained three-part drama rather than a sprawling six seasons.
"And let's thank the TV gods for that," says Delgado, "because Doctor Thorne's limited scope means it's sharper, more succinct and therefore more thrilling than Downton was, particularly in its later series."
There is also a "darkness at its core", she adds, with the central romance overshadowed by a murderous secret known only by Thorne.
Fellowes has certainly given Trollope the Downton treatment, says Jasper Rees at the Daily Telegraph. "Caught at a loose end after half the cast wanted out of Downton Abbey, he seems to have stuck his fingers in his ears, crossed out the name of Crawley and given their lines about pedigree and inheritances to the De Courceys and the Greshams."
Other critics agree that Doctor Thorne shares many of the hit series' themes – but also some of its foibles.
They were all here, says Viv Groskop at The Guardian, the "scheming aunts, rich heiresses, downtrodden husbands and country estates peeling around the edges", along with an "awful lot of explanatory detail and very little action or depth of emotion".
Meanwhile, Andrew Billen at The Times points out that it is hard to imagine Downton without Upstairs, Downstairs, or Upstairs, Downstairs without the novels of Trollope.
The snobbery, secrets and greed of Doctor Thorne were "familiar clay" in the hands of Fellowes, he says, yet there was "something uncomfortable about almost all of it".
While it was no doubt a faithful translation, with its "yawning swards and crenelated towers", it felt "more pastiche than Downton itself", he concludes.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How much of a blow is ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu?
Today's Big Question Action by Hague court damages Israel's narrative that Gaza conflict is a war between 'good and evil'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
UK gynaecological care crisis: why thousands of women are left in pain
The Explainer Waiting times have tripled over the past decade thanks to lack of prioritisation or funding for women's health
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'The Hum': the real-life noise behind The Listeners
In The Spotlight Can some of us also hear the disturbing sound that plagues characters in the hit TV show – and where is it coming from?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Count of Monte Cristo review: 'indecently spectacular' adaptation
The Week Recommends Dumas's classic 19th-century novel is once again given new life in this 'fast-moving' film
By The Week UK Published
-
Death of England: Closing Time review – 'bold, brash reflection on racism'
The Week Recommends The final part of this trilogy deftly explores rising political tensions across the country
By The Week UK Published
-
Sing Sing review: prison drama bursts with 'charm, energy and optimism'
The Week Recommends Colman Domingo plays a real-life prisoner in a performance likely to be an Oscars shoo-in
By The Week UK Published
-
Kaos review: comic retelling of Greek mythology starring Jeff Goldblum
The Week Recommends The new series captures audiences as it 'never takes itself too seriously'
By The Week UK Published
-
Blink Twice review: a 'stylish and savage' black comedy thriller
The Week Recommends Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie stun in this film on the hedonistic rich directed by Zoë Kravitz
By The Week UK Published
-
Shifters review: 'beautiful' new romantic comedy offers 'bittersweet tenderness'
The Week Recommends The 'inventive, emotionally astute writing' leaves audiences gripped throughout
By The Week UK Published
-
How to do F1: British Grand Prix 2025
The Week Recommends One of the biggest events of the motorsports calendar is back and better than ever
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Twisters review: 'warm-blooded' film explores dangerous weather
The Week Recommends The film, focusing on 'tornado wranglers', stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell
By The Week UK Published